Politics & Government

No Wine @ Walgreens

Menlo Park Planning Commission denied permit to sell it.

The Menlo Park Planning Commission refused to approve a permit Monday that would have allowed the Walgreens on Santa Cruz Avenue to sell beer and wine, after arriving at the conclusion that it would not be appropriate for a pharmacy and general store to sell alcohol on Santa Cruz Avenue. 

Commissioner Pei Pei Yu, who was in favor of denying the permit, said the decision was a pivotal one in Menlo Park history that would could literally change the landscape of the town.

“We’re really asking ourselves as a city who we are, and who we want to be,” Yu said.  No chain stores on Santa Cruz Avenue sell alcohol that will be consumed elsewhere. An application from to sell alcohol at a store on Santa Cruz Avenue was denied in 2007.

The proposal given to the Commission Monday night asked that they determine "whether the sale of alcohol at this location serves a public convenience or necessity, in accordance with the requirements of the State Department of Alcohol Beverage Control," according to the staff report given to the commission that evening. 

Commissioner Katie Ferrick said that it did not.

“I go downtown to buy things at multiple stores while parked in the same spot all the time,” Ferrick said.

“Part of the health and welfare of the community is the ability to be able to walk from place to place and say hi to your neighbors,” she said.

Some commissioners such as Ben Eiref said that it would be more convenient, while others like John O’Malley said,  “Forget about making it more convenient, it’s about making more money.”

Had the permit been approved, Walgreens would have filled 12-24 feet of shelf space with beer and wine, according to store manager Matt Murphy.  The store has about 7,500 feet of shelf space.  The types of wine and beer that would have been sold there would have been in the $8-$20 price range.

Walgreens legal counsel Dan Kramer said that it was important for Walgreens to be able to compete against other national pharmacies that also carry food and other products.

“The feedback that we have from customers is that they want to take care of their pharmacy and retail needs and purchase a bottle of wine for dinner without having to go to another grocery store,” Kramer said.

Walgreens has about 500 stores in California, about 220 of which do not sell alcohol, according to Kramer. 

Menlo Park's downtown Walgreens will be one of the stores that does not.

The final vote was 4-3, with Henry Riggs, John Kadvany and Vince Bressler against denying the permit for various reasons.

Walgreens does have the option of appealing the decision to City Council.


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